Chapter Twenty-Seven
Beau
The Next Day. Hallow Ranch.
“Fucking hell,” Lance groaned, dropping his head back, letting the sun hit his face. “Why is it so hot?”
“Because it’s summer, dip-shit,” his brother deadpanned, untying his horse from the post, giving her a few pats on her neck.
Lance’s head snapped over to him.
We’d been out here all morning, working on this section of the fence. I didn’t have to be out here; Denver had given me the option to stay home, but I couldn’t. I’d drive myself mad in that cabin, given that Abbie would be with Valerie and Harmony for the day. At first, I was against it, but as much as the caveman inside me wanted to lock Abbie in our cabin for the rest of her days to keep her safe, I couldn’t do that.
Abbie was my woman, but she wasn’t my property.
“I should’ve eaten you in the womb,” Lance bit off, baring his teeth.
“Now I understand why Mags can’t stand working with you two,” I noted, tying the barbed wire.
I felt Lance’s eyes on me then. “What do you mean Mags can’t stand working with us?”
Yanking off my work gloves, I shot him a look. “You don’t have to look between the lines of that sentence, Lance. I said what I said.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lawson said proudly as he mounted Lady. “Mags and I are best buds.”
I stared up at him, knowing that, five years ago, Mags had seriously contemplated burning down the bunkhouse with the twins inside. He’d promised Denver with a straight face that he would build a better bunkhouse in its place. Mags being Mags, he brought that topic up after the twins got into some shit in Vegas, racking up debt they couldn’t pay. I remembered the way Denver stared into the bonfire that night, and I could’ve sworn he’d been thinking about it.
“Mags hates you, bro,” Lawson laughed, grabbing his work bag off the ground. He rose back up and looked at me. “Then again, I’m pretty sure that cowboy hates everyone.”
It was Lance’s turn to laugh. “Oh, he doesn’t hate Denver’s pretty lawyer.”
His twin whistled low as he brushed past me. “No, he does not.”
I kept my mouth shut, knowing damn well what they were talking about. I grabbed my shit and headed to where Spirit stood in the shade. His black eyes hit mine, and I knew he was silently scolding me. “I know, I know.” I winced, putting my things in the saddle bags. “That took a little longer than I expected.”
As soon as I was mounted, I looked over to the twins. “I’m going to the herd. You boys mind checking on Johnson’s team?” I asked, jerking my head toward the mountain. They set up a camp at the base of it yesterday, and while Johnson wasn’t present, knowing he’d be back here soon pissed me off.
I snapped the reins as I bit down, grinding my teeth to the point of pain, reminding myself to call Red Snake about it. Ten minutes of riding flew by, and up ahead, I saw the herd, Mags, Mason, and Denver surveying them from atop the hill.
“Told you to take the day off,” Denver muttered as his shades landed in my direction.
I stopped Spirit a few feet from them and looked out to the herd. “Sitting on my ass isn’t the answer to my problems, Denver.”
Mags grunted, pulling his hat off to push his hair back before setting it back in place. Mason jerked his chin to me. “You doing okay?”
Spirit shifted, and I looked down for a moment, trying to find the right words. “I don’t know, boys,” I said.
“Need to tell you something, Beau,” Denver opened, pausing until I was looking at him. “I told her to let you go.”
I stiffened, my fingered tightening around the reins. “Say again?”
Denver shook his head once. “It was a mistake. I was looking out for you.”
“That wasn’t your call to make,” I clipped, ripping off my shades and lifting them in his direction. “My love life isn’t any of your fucking business.”
“Considering you brought her here to my fucking ranch, yes, it is,” he returned. I was ready to rip him a new fucking asshole when the satellite phone started ringing.
Mags leaned back on his horse, reaching into a saddle bag and fishing it out. “Hallow Ranch,” he answered gruffly. “Yup.” His dark eyes met mine, holding out the phone. “Ash.”
I kicked my feet, urging Spirit to take a few steps forward to take the phone. “Please tell me you have something good,” I said to the bounty hunter, not bothering with a greeting.
“Got something on your guy, and it’s going to piss you off,” he informed.
I shot a look at my boss. “Already there. What do you got?”
“Jake and I set a trap for the fucker. For the last two nights, he’s been parking two streets over from Abbie’s, walking over at ten, and confidently walking in the back door. We let him think he hacked into our camera feeds.”
My spine straightened. “You telling me this guy has a tech background?”
“Not a very good one, but yes. He can get by if he needs to, and right now, he thinks he has the upper hand.”
“Why haven’t you just cornered him at the fucking house?” I asked through my teeth.
“This guy is unstable, Beau. If we try to take him out and he somehow escapes, he could go after Abbie.”
“Abbie is safe here,” I told him.
The safest place for her was at Hallow Ranch, and that would never fucking change.
“Which leads me to my next point,” Ash sighed. “I’ve gone through everything Abbie gave me, his notes and little gifts. I’ve studied his wording and even sent some pieces to my contact in the FBI to analyze his handwriting.”
“And?” I prompted, looking at the cowboys, cows mooing in the background. A bead of sweat trickled down the back of my neck as Ash gave me the rest.
“Abbie’s stalker is someone she is familiar with, Beau. Someone from her past.”
I let my head fall back, my jaw jumping as the vein in my temple pulsed. “Fucking hell.”
“What?” Denver asked.
I looked directly at him then. “More ashes are going on the mountain.”
“Majority of stalkers are someone the victims either knows or comes into contact with,” Ash explained on the other end, ignoring my comment. “Abbie told me she hasn’t dated anyone is over six years, the only male friends she has are gay, and she doesn’t go out. She’s a recluse in Denver, which led me to believe her stalker is from Hayden.”
“ Fuck ,” I bit out.
“What the fuck is going on?” Mason growled, coming up beside me.
“Ash thinks the stalker is from Hayden,” I said, my voice vibrating with anger. “Did you get a good look at his car? Run the plates.”
“Yeah, the plate registered to a Tina Darwin from Colorado Springs. She owns a minivan, and this guy is driving a 2012 Honda Civic. Put a tracker on it last night while he was destroying her fucking coffee table, but I haven’t seen any movement all day.”
“Where is it at?”
“In a parking garage. Downtown Denver. I’m leaving to go check it out now.”
“Let me know what you find,” I ordered, ending the call. I looked over at the Mason and Denver. “You know, after I took Abbie back to the cabin, she told me what she and the girls talked about last night on the porch.” The two brothers waited for more, their brows furrowed. My upper lips curled. “Valerie and Harmony thanked Abbie for doing what she did. They told her that if she hadn’t left me, Hallow Ranch probably wouldn’t fucking be here.” Denver looked to his saddle; his shoulders stiff. Mason didn’t look away from me, his jaw jumping underneath his scruff. “If anyone on this fucking ranch owes her an apology, it’s you two.”
“We know, Beau,” Denver clipped.
“Realized the second she fucking finished the story,” Mason added, his voice hard.
“We owe Abbie, and we’re not stopping until she is safe,” Denver promised.
Mags, as usual, said nothing.
“Her stalker comes first,” I told them, directing Spirit to face the other direction. “After he is taken care of, we can find the others.” Then, I snapped my reins, and my horse took off.
I needed to see Abbie.
“Beau, what—”
I crossed Harmony’s living room, my boots pounding against the floorboards, heading straight for the most beautiful woman in the world. She was wearing a pink and orange sun dress today, the kind of dress that clung to every curve, driving a man like me insane. The skirt flowed down to the middle of her calves, and the top of it had four dainty, pearl-colored buttons. Her silky hair was down, flowing over her shoulders like a waterfall as her head spun to me. She opened her mouth for a second time, but I didn’t give her the chance to speak.
My hand shot out, grabbing her by the back of the neck and pulling her to me. Our lips met, and I kissed her hard, needing to feel her, to taste her, to know she was safe.
She was here.
With me.
Visions of a faceless man filled my mind as I pulled away, my eyes dropping to her swollen lips. “We need to go,” I declared.
Her hands were fisting my blue flannel, her chest heaving. “What’s wrong?”
I looked over to Valerie and Harmony. Valerie was on the floor with NJ, who was sleeping on a thick fuzzy blanket, and Harmony was on the couch, her legs tucked under her, her guitar in her lap. “Beau?” she asked, concern hitting her features. “Is everything okay?”
I gave them nothing except, “Abbie needs to come with me.”
Valerie looked at Abbie and then back to me. “Okay,” she said, sounding unsure. “Are you sure everything is fine?”
I nodded once and grabbed Abbie’s hand.
“Thank you for lunch, Harmony,” my wildflower said. “Bye, Val.”
The women muttered their goodbyes to our backs as I lead Abbie out of the house and off the porch. Her footing faltered when she saw Spirit tied to the porch post. “Did you—you rode all the way over here?” she asked in disbelief as I turned her to face me.
The thin strap on her left shoulder had fallen down, and her perky breasts were one undone button away from spilling out. I jerked my chin to the horse. “You need me to help you up?”
Her expression changed then, as if I insulted her. “You think I forgot how to ride a damn horse?”
I shrugged a single shoulder. “Prove me wrong, beautiful.”
Without another word, she slipped her boot into the stirrup, grabbed the horn, and pulled herself up. My cock twitched in my Wranglers as her dress slid up. Once she was settled, I mounted up behind her, reaching around and grabbing the reins, my lips against her ear. “You still like to ride fast, baby? Or do I need to take it easy this time around?” I asked.
She twisted her neck to face me, her lips brushing against mine. “Do your worst.”
I grinned against her mouth, chuckling darkly. “Alright then, Wildflower.”
Minutes later, with Spirits hooves pounding, Abbie’s hair flying back against me, her laughter filling my ears over the wind, I looked up to the afternoon sun and felt grateful. We came around the bend into our field, and I eased Spirit to stop at the top of the hill. Abbie was breathing hard, the adrenaline hitting her.
“God, I missed this,” she confessed on a breath, those warm brown eyes meeting mine over her shoulder. Her hair wasn’t perfect anymore. Instead, it was windblown—wild. Her mouth was stretched into a familiar, stunning smile, one I’d nearly forgotten.
“You’re beautiful like this, Abbie,” I told her, putting my hand to her stomach just to feel her. “So fuckin’ breathtaking.”
She twisted her torso then, putting her hand against my cheek as her eyes dropped to my lips. “Right back at ya, cowboy.”
Not breaking her gaze, I clicked my tongue, and Spirit moved, carrying us slowly down the hill and across our field. Once we were in the trees, hidden from the sun, I broke our gaze and stopped him at the front of the house, dismounting. I turned back to face Abbie, looking up at her. A single ray of shine slipped through the tall pines, landing directly on top of her head. My heart nearly stopped at the sight, and I didn’t say anything to her. For a few precious minutes, I stared at her, memorizing every inch of her beauty, soaking it all in.
“Beau?”
She snapped me out of it, and I put my hands on Abbie’s hip. “Hop down for me, baby.”
Once both of her feet hit the ground, I said, “I’m going to take him around back.”
She said nothing, nodding slowly, her eyes filled with love.
“Come on, boy. Let’s get you comfortable,” I muttered, leading him by the reins. He neighed, and I knew he was scolding me for not taking him back to the barn. He was used to getting pampered by Pop at the end of the workday. “I have carrots back here for you, you shit.”
At the back of the cabin, I brought him to the fence post in front of a small hay bin and water basin. On top of the hay sat a bushel of carrots. My horse made a sound and dug in. I gave him a few pets before putting my lasso on my shoulder, unhooking the saddle, and setting it on the ground. “I’ll take you to the barn in a bit,” I promised him before heading back up to the front.
Abbie wasn’t standing where I left her, but her dress and boots were.
“Fuck,” I whispered, my mouth salivating.
“Remember when you fucked me in the woods, Beau?”
My head snapped up to find her standing in the only patch of grass near the house, pine needles covering the rest of the ground. My jaw tightened as my eyes scanned the length of her naked body. Her skin was warm, her freckles standing out more due to her time in the sun. Her dark pink, taut nipples were peaked and begging for me. I swallowed when my eyes landed on the apex of her thighs, her trimmed dark hair nearly compelling me to drop to my knees.
“What is this, Abbie?” I asked roughly, meeting her eyes again.
“What does it look like?” she whispered, bringing her hands to her belly, trailing them up to her breasts.
“Was planning on making love to you inside,” I told her, taking a step closer. “Planned on kissing every inch of that body, eating that pussy until you were screaming before sliding inside you.”
She was panting now, her fingers pinching and plucking her nipples. “You won’t do that h-here?” she stammered.
“Only thing I’m planning on doing out here is chasing you, tying your hands together, and fucking you in the dirt,” I told her simply.
Those honey-sweet lips parted, and her hands fell away, heat blooming in her cheeks. “You’re going to chase me?”
I gave her a single nod before jerking my chin. “Run, Wildflower.”